Poll panel unhappy with BJP leader's reply

New Delhi: The Election Commission on Sunday expressed its "displeasure" with the reply of V.K. Malhotra, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chief ministerial candidate for Delhi, to its notice on violating its instructions.

On November 10, the election panel served a notice to Malhotra for violating the model code of conduct on use of vehicles and had asked him to reply by November 11. It said more vehicles than permitted were used when Malhotra went to file his papers.

Malhotra replied to the notice the following day, but the commission yesterday said it found the reply "not satisfactory" and conveyed its displeasure to him.

In his reply, Malhotra said he did not violate any norms while filing his nomination.

He also said that he went to the returning officer's office in his car with his wife and Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan and there was no other car with them.

The Election Commission issued Malhotra notice for "violation of standing instructions regarding the maximum number of vehicles permitted within periphery of 100 metres of returning officer and persons inside the chamber while filing his nomination papers".

Malhotra, contesting from Greater Kailash constituency, filed his nomination papers at the returning office in the Jamnagar House on the Shahjahan Road on November 8.

The election commission had also ordered the immediate transfer of Greater Kailash returning officer Bans Raj Ram, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Puspender Kumar and sub-inspector K.L. Yadav for failure to implement its orders.